Social Media Backlash: Firms ignoring policies

Just like that piece of coursework that students have to do, but push off for as long as possible, companies are neglecting the topic of social networking for as long as they possibly can. Many companies are ignoring social media and pretending that it doesn’t exist, when the best thing that they can do is address the situation before a problem arises.

Tim Devaney reports for the Detroit News. He says that studies have shown that when companies create social media policies, it can help prevent problems but firms appear to be happier just ignoring the issue. A Manpower survey found that only 20% of 34,400 companies worldwide had a social media policy. This means that the employees have no boundaries on what they can and cannot say besides their common sense.

Michael Fertik is quoted as saying “I don’t think it’s established yet because the technology’s moving faster than the law is”. I thoroughly agree with him. In today’s modern world where technology is advancing so fast, companies should not be waiting for the law to tell them what boundaries they need to put into place. Otherwise they could be heading for a PR disaster!

For the full article, check out detnews.com. Does your company have a social media policy? Tell us about it in the comments.